NEW YORK. - A federal jury awards Elijah Turley, a black steelworker, $25 million after holding the company's executives responsible for failing to stop racial slurs and harassments that were perpetrated on Turley while at work.
Turley said that during his time at the steel plant between 2005 -2008, he was constantly called racist names. He recalled an incident when a stuffed monkey with a noose around its neck was placed in his car, and words such as "KKK" and "King Kong" were plastered on walls and other parts of the factory. Other workers also testified about being subjected to racial abuse and harassment.
Turley's lawyer, Ryan J. Mills, said before the court, " It's absolutely shocking that a case like this is in court in 2012...It should be viewed as atrocious and intolerable in a civilized society," as reported by Buffalo News.
The trial lasted for three weeks before the jury of eight came to a unanimous decision with the approval of the U.S. Chief District Judge William M. Skretny, that the major international steel company, ArcelorMittal, whose headquarters is based in Luxembourg, is liable to pay the $25 million in mainly punitive damages, "intended to either punish the company or deter it from engaging in similar conduct," as reported by Boston News
The defense lawyer, James R. Grasso, argued that this kind of "trash-Talk" is common and to be expected in working environments, saying that in no way can it be considered abuse.
Arcelormittal released a statement saying that their company "has a zero tolerance policy for work-place discrimination or harassment," as reported by Reuters. However, "are astonished by today's decision and consider the compensatory and punitive damages figure excessive," according to Boston News. They are likely to appeal the verdict.
Meanwhile Turley left the court $25 million dollars richer than when he came, he hugged each juror and thanked them for their ruling.
